Cry
by Miss Nostalgia
Summary: Who saw Jesse Aarons cry?... JxL
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not and will never own Bridge to Terabithia. It belongs to Katherine Paterson. Although I do own the idea of this story.

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The Outcast and the New Girl

No one had ever been there for him. Not even his siblings, not even his parents. He was always alone. He thought of suicide, maybe someone will finally notice that he was alive, he was breathing, he was moving, and that he was human. Then again, he didn't do it. It's useless. Maybe his parents won't even notice the pool of blood somewhere out there. Jess Aarons was always a loner, an outcast. All he ever wanted was attention. Someone who would and could care for him. All the achievements he made at school, no one knows about it but the teacher and him. He always strived hard at school, getting big grades and participating in school events. He always bragged about it at home, but his parents would just nod and not even look at him, for they were always too busy with work and everything. His two elder sisters, Brenda and Ellie were snotty. Instead of an elder sibling's job to be there for their younger sibling, it was the other way around. His two younger sisters were far too busy with playing with each other, although May Belle was kind enough to talk to Jess sometimes.

For the sixteen years that Jess Aarons lived his life, there was this one place to where he would always go to whenever his problems were too much to bear. It was a forest with a deep creek that separated it from their land. He discovered it when he was ten years old. The only way to access the forest was an old, thick rope. The first time that Jess knew about the separated woods, he doubted going there. But he badly needed a place to go and cry his heart out, that's why he took the risk, and ever since, it had been his sanctuary.

Today was the first day of ninth grade. Jess' homeroom teacher was Mr. Davis. It also rained later that afternoon at Lark Creek High School. It was awfully muddy, but Jess didn't care. He didn't care one bit. Why should he? His worn out sneakers just had to bear with him. Earlier that morning, Principal Madison entered Jess' classroom. A new student with him.

"Good morning students." He greeted the ninth graders. Before speaking any further, he motioned someone from outside to come in.

A girl then emerged from outside the door.

"Class, this is Leslie Burke. She'll be joining all of you this year. She's from California. Please be nice to her okay?" With that, Principal Madison left the room.

"Okay then Leslie, since there's no available desk for you yet, please take my seat for now. I'll fetch some students later at lunch break to get a desk for you." Mr. Davis said to Leslie. Leslie just nodded and took a seat.

From Jess' desk, he couldn't help but look at the new girl. He couldn't deny the fact that she was attractive. Even if her hair was short like a boy's, it suited her well. Her green eyes were also captivating. But to Jess, she was just like any other student. Once she gets to know everybody, she'd become a preppy just like anyone else. He did hope that she wouldn't turn out as worst as Brenda and Ellie. Or Wanda Kaye.

Jess took a seat on LCHS's new school bus and leaned on the window. It just started to rain. The driver, Mr. Ford, was about to start the engine when a blonde girl emerged from the door. She was soaking wet, clearly she wasn't expecting the rain since it was bright and sunny the morning earlier. Seeing that there was no other empty seat, she opted to sit beside Jess. Jess noticed a presence beside him and the feeling of wet coldness.

"I'm sorry, I got you wet. I didn't bring an umbrella since it was sunny last morning." The girl apologized to Jess. Jess remembered her. She was the new girl from his class.

"S'Okay." Jess said to her. He was about to turn away when the girl offered her hand.

"Leslie Burke by the way. Nice to meet you." The girl smiled at him. Jess took her hand which was still cold and was shaking a bit.

"Jess Aarons. Nice to meet you too." He replied. Jess then turned away and leaned against the window again.

Ten minutes later, the school bus stopped at Jess' house. As he stepped down, he was surprised to see the girl following him.

"Are you following me or something?" He asked her. She just laughed and shook her head.

Pointing a finger at a house next to Jess', she said, "No. I live next door."

Jess looked at the house. _Finally, someone bought the old Perkins' place_. "I see." He then took off without any goodbye. It was still raining, but he just walked casually. Not caring if he'd catch a cold. Leslie Burke just looked at him from behind, wondering how he could be so _cold_.

.::::._**Leslie's POV**_.::::.

I'm surely going to get a cold from this. But I'm intrigued by that boy, what was his name again? Oh, Jess Aarons. There was something in him. When I first introduced myself to him at the school bus, his eyes were… blank. It was blank yet I could feel sorrow in it. Looking at him leaning against the window, I could tell he was trying to hide something. It was like I could feel his pain or something, and somehow, I want to get rid of that pain from him.

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_Review please._


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not and will never own Bridge to Terabithia. It belongs to Katherine Paterson. Although I do own the idea of this story.

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The Third Meeting

"Ellie, your turn to wash the dishes." Nancy Aarons told her daughter. Ellie whined and complained that her favorite soap opera still hadn't ended, but Mrs. Aarons was rough and Ellie eventually gave in and turned the TV set off. Brenda was out on a date, and the two younger girls were playing Barbie like the usual. Mr. Aarons was still working, lucky to be able to hold two jobs.

Jess was in his room, thankful that his two younger sisters were downstairs playing with each other. He got his sketch pad and started drawing. Most of his drawings were inspired from the pain he was feeling. When he was ten years old, he drew dragons, ogres, trolls and other creatures made up from his then younger mind. This time, he would draw something abstract, something that he'd be the only who could understand. Sometimes, he wanted someone to know of this pain, and sometimes he'd want to keep it to himself. After drawing and releasing some of the pain out of his system, Jess returned his sketch pad to his table and drifted off to sleep.

Morning came. The sunlight from outside was in direct contact to Jess Aarons' eyes. He cursed under his breath and shut his blinds. May Belle and Joyce Ann were still in a blissful sleep. He looked at the clock beside him and it read six-thirty. Everyone would still be asleep at this time. Jess slipped into his overalls and took a jacket with him. He decided to go to the forest today. He hadn't been there for a month.

Meanwhile, at the Burke's residence, Leslie just woke up. She looked outside from her window as it was her usual habit, to greet the morning sunlight, but it was way too early of course, and because it had rained the day before, clouds were still on the sky, making it look gloomy. She was surprised to see her classmate, Jess Aarons, out so early in the morning. _What's he doing out so early?_ She wondered. She decided to follow him. Taking her pink coat with her and her boots, Leslie tiptoed her way out of their house.

Jess took the rope and swung forward, his feet crashing the strong current on the creek. He then walked casually to the old tree house that wasn't far from where the rope hung. Last year, he was able to provide a proper roof for the tree house. He brought snacks and papers there so that he won't run out of his resources when he'd decide to stay for the night. At least the tree house was a lot safer from the rain than the first time he set foot on it. Jess took a wooden box to sit on and rested his back comfortably on the tree house wall. He closed his eyes. The smell of the forest and the feeling of peace was enough to make him feel sleepy again, although he was there for barely ten minutes. The rain began again, only this time it wasn't hard. Jess moved to the center of the tree house to avoid the raindrops, and closed his eyes again as he inhaled and exhaled to relax more.

As Leslie entered the tree house, she saw Jess Aarons in a blissful sleep. She tried to go near him but a shriek from the old wooden floor of the tree house woke him up.

He was startled for a moment when he saw her, but then, this was his private place, what is she even doing here? "What are you doing here?" Jess asked her. His eyes were menacing, clearly he wasn't happy that she was here.

"I uh, followed you." Leslie avoided his eyes.

"Why?" Jess asked. His rage was burning inside. _How dare she follow me? We don't even know each other!_

"I-I'm sorry. It's just that I was curious why you were out so early in the morning…" Leslie apologized. When she lifted her head, their eyes met.

Jess Aarons felt an instant connection.

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Review please._


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not and will never own Bridge to Terabithia. It belongs to Katherine Paterson. Although I do own the idea of this story.

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Persuasive

"Still, you're not allowed to come here. You're trespassing." Jess said to her, dismissing the feeling erupting inside him. Leslie's head shot up and her eyes widened.

"You mean you own this place?" She asked.

Jess shrugged, _she does have a point_, "Uh, no. But still, you can't just come here." Jess insisted.

"You don't even own the place. You come here every time, don't you?" Leslie asked, pointing her finger at the drawings hanged on the wall, and the candy and junk food wrappers on the other side.

"So what? It's none of your business. Just go away." He said, turning away.

"Don't be rude. I just want to be friends… I didn't make any yesterday. I was hoping we could be friends since we're neighbors." Leslie insisted.

"I don't want to be friends, okay?! Just go away! I don't need friends!" Jess shouted at her. He was really angry inside. Who needs friends anyway? Yes they could be there the first time around, but as time passes by, they'd leave you without any trail. So why should he even take that risk? He's far better without having any. He's already hurt enough as it is.

"Jess, no one can live without friends. I hope you remember that." Were Leslie's departing words as she went down and ran away from the tree house, back to her house.

_No one can live without friends. I hope you remember that_.

Leslie's words replayed in Jess mind. "You're wrong. _I_ can live without them"

The next morning, Jess and Leslie met each other again as they waited for the bus.

"Good morning." Leslie greeted her. He didn't reply but just stomped his feet on the rocks. "You know, that's not a nice way to greet a girl." Leslie said to him. When he looked at her, she was smiling. _How could she smile like that?_ Jess thought. He couldn't remember the last time he smiled truthfully.

"I don't care." He said to her as the bus arrived and he went inside first. Leslie just giggled. _We'll be friends, Jess Aarons. I'll make sure of that_. This time, Jess was alone in his seat as Leslie sat behind him. Ten minutes later, the school bus arrived at LCHS. Jess proceeded to the classroom. Leslie noticed that his backpack was unzipped and a sketch pad fell. She caught up with Jess as she had the same class with him again, which was Math.

"Hey, you dropped this." A female voice from behind him said. Jess turned and saw that it was only Leslie. He took the sketch pad from her and murmured a small thanks and went to his desk. Mr. Turner, the math teacher, arrived shortly and started class.

The hours rolled by quickly and the last class was dismissed that morning. Jess went to the cafeteria to feed himself as he was already hungry since he ate only a little at breakfast. While enjoying his meal, someone suddenly sat beside him.

"Hi." Leslie smiled. Jess almost choked. He took his tray and tried to move to the next table but Leslie tugged his shirt.

"Don't. Please stay. I won't bite." Leslie joked. Jess eventually agreed since the table he was planning to move on was taken by twelfth graders. "Good." Leslie added. Jess didn't mind her, and just continued eating. After a while, he accidentally burped. Leslie giggled; Jess couldn't help but do the same too. _I haven't giggled in ages…_ Jess thought to himself.

"He laughed at last." Leslie said to him. When he turned to look at her, their eyes met. _Her eyes are so beautiful…_ Jess thought. He mentally slapped himself for this.

"Do I have food on my nose or something?" She asked.

"Uh, no…" He turned away and took his tray. Leslie followed too.

Jess went to an empty field, and sat on the grass. He was comforted by the tree's cool shade as well. For the second time that morning, Leslie Burke followed him.

"What's your problem? Why do you keep on following me?"

"Well, I already told you that I want to be friends. I can be very persuasive, Jess Aarons." Leslie grinned at him.

"Will you stop following me if I become friends with you?"

"Hmm… Why not? But still, friends do keep company with each other."

"Whatever."

"So we're friends?"

"Yeah yeah yeah."

Leslie smiled at this and offered a hand to Jess since the bell rang.

"Let's go or we'll be late for class." Jess shrugged, but took her hand as they started walking to their classroom.

Hours flew by again and they sat beside each other at the school bus. When Jess arrived home, his parents were fighting again.

"Why do you always spoil them Nancy? The ten dollars you spent should have been used for more important supplies, not some useless and revolting see-through blouses!"

"Can't I even pamper our daughters, Jack? Even _I_ need new clothes every once in a while!"

"And you say that to me by showing me these… these kind of clothes?!" Jack said, pointing at the blouses Nancy bought.

"You're being unreasonable!" Nancy shouted back.

_Stupid parents_, Jess thought. They fight each other just because of stupid, useless reasons. Instead of going to his room, Jess went to the forest. From Leslie's room, he could see looking sad and he walked towards the forest. She decided to follow him again, since Jess agreed that they could be 'friends'.

"To hell with them! Why did they even bother having many children when they couldn't even spare a second with each one? Why did I have to be born, God? Why? Ahhhhh!!!" Jess shouted. No one would hear him anyway.

The only ones present near him were the trees, some alive, some dead. Shouting was one of the things he would do to release the anger he was feeling. He punched the bark of the tree so hard that his knuckles bled, but he was numb. He couldn't feel the physical pain. The pain in his heart was far more powerful than his bleeding hands.

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Review please._


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not and will never own Bridge to Terabithia. It belongs to Katherine Paterson. Although I do own the idea of this story.

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The Girl Who Saw Him Cry

Jess couldn't hold his emotions anymore that he started crying. He couldn't remember the last time that he smiled. For the past sixteen years, he had never felt or experienced real happiness. No one from his own family taught or showed this to him. Before, he looked up to his father for the strong man that he was. He would then wonder if his father ever slept at all, for his father's work demanded every bit of his supposed family time. Tears rolled down his cheeks. Ever since he was a little kid, all he wanted was attention. Love.

"Jess?" A female voice called. Jess thought that maybe May Belle or Joyce Ann followed him here.

"Go away May Belle! If that's you Joyce Ann, you better leave now or I'll break your barbies." He warned the girl. Not exactly caring who it was.

"No Jess. It's me. Leslie Burke."

Jess wiped his tears and looked up. Leslie looked like an angel sent from above.

"Go away, please… I don't need your help…" Jess begged her. Leslie took his hand and put it on hers.

"I can listen to you Jess, whatever your problem is."

"You wouldn't understand, Leslie Burke." He said, as though he wanted to spit on the name he mentioned. Now that someone actually cared about him, he felt funny.

"Jess, I… I can feel your pain…" Leslie said to him. Jess' ears perked up.

"You're not someone I know," he glared at her, "so don't pretend that you 'feel' my pain because no one can and no one will!"

"For once can you stop being so stubborn? Why are you afraid that someone might actually care for you?"

"Because I don't want to trust anyone! If I put that trust I just end up getting hurt!" Jess said. He fought back the tears building in his eyes. "You wouldn't understand… Please, just leave me alone." He begged her for the second time. But Leslie didn't listen to him. Instead, she went up to him and hugged him. "Why won't you listen?" Jess said, his words muffled because of Leslie's jacket. "Ssh… Don't talk. Just cry. I'm lending you my shoulder to cry on." Leslie told him. She felt him smile and hugged him tighter.

"Just cry Jess… Let it all out…" Jess buried his head on Leslie neck, inhaling her sweet scent. Leslie's warm embrace was enough to make him feel much better. After a while, Jess broke from her hug.

"Uh… t-thanks… a lot…" Jess stuttered. He wore a somewhat goofy smile on his face that made Leslie giggle.

"What's funny?" He asked her.

"Nothing," she continued to laugh more, "when was the last time you actually smiled? Because it seems like you don't know how to do it anymore." She grinned at him. He smiled.

"I don't know. It must have been when I was born." He joked. Leslie giggled again. And then an awkward silence fell between them.

"I'm here for you Jess, whenever you need a shoulder to cry on." Leslie told him.

Jess sneezed and wiped his nose with his jacket. "It's embarrassing," he sneezed again, "I'm a guy and I cry." He continued. "That's not a problem at all Jess. You can't just hide what you feel forever. It's bad." Leslie replied. Jess nodded in agreement. "So, we're officially friends now?" Leslie asked, "Yeah." The two teenagers smiled at each other.

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Review please._


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Bridge to Terabithia, it solely belongs to Katherine Paterson.

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Closer Than Ever

"_Jesse Aarons!"_ Leslie squeaked. Jess just grinned at her.

"What?" He asked goofily.

"Stop staring!" Leslie demanded him. Jess only grinned more.

"You're too hard to resist, you know that?" He teased her.

"Stop teasing _Jesse!"_ Leslie flashed a big grin in her lips.

"I'm not teasing!" Jess smiled inwardly.

Live had been up and going again ever since he met Leslie Burke.

That day had been one of their 'Bikini and Boxer days' as they'd call it. It would be too much for their parents, especially Leslie's, if they find out about it. But everything was totally platonic between Jess and Leslie.

The older Burkes were gone for the whole summer. Bill and Judy asked their neighbors, the Aarons, if they could keep an eye on Leslie while they were away. They didn't have to make her stay with the Aarons' of course, since they were already loaded. The Burkes, especially Judy, just didn't trust Jess completely. Not that she viewed him as something threatening to Leslie, but she just wanted to make sure things wouldn't go out of hand. Also, their parents forbade them into going to the woods-slash-Terabithia, especially when the older Burkes weren't around. So their only option was at Leslie's house.

Seeing Leslie in a bikini wasn't new to Jess anymore. At first, he tried hard not to stare at her whenever they'd have that event over at her house. When Jess would ask if he could go visit Leslie, alone, his mom would call on the phone every now and then to check things, to make sure they wouldn't be doing anything funny. Jess and Leslie couldn't believe that their parents would actually think they'd do something like that.

"Hey Jess, is the spaghetti done?" Leslie asked him.

"Uh, let me check." Jess replied as he got out of the inflatable swimming pool and went to the Burke's kitchen. "It's done!" He shouted from inside. Leslie got out of the pool herself and went inside, not caring that she was dripping wet.

"Get the plates and forks! I'll deal with the drinks!" Leslie shouted at Jess.

"Plates and forks coming right up!" Jess said.

After setting the table, they went down to business.

They kept smiling at each other while the spaghetti's sauce circled their lips. They acted like children whenever they'd eat spaghetti.

"It's so hot today." Leslie complained. Too bad their air-conditioning was down at the moment.

"Yeah. You can say that again…" He said, wolfing down at his plate once more.

Leslie looked at him. Over the past year, they had grown closer. They never kept secrets from each other, and whenever they'd have problems, they'd be each other's advisers.

After they were done eating, Leslie washed the plates, a habit she had ever since they moved at Lark Creek, while Jess waited outside.

"I'm done!" Leslie said as she got outside.

"Ahhh! I can't take it anymore, it's so hot!" Jess complained.

"Should we put ice cubes in there to make it cooler?" She suggested.

"You're crazy." Jess laughed at her.

Leslie was the sole reason why he would laugh, smile and feel happy and content. He shouldn't have been cold towards her during their first and second meeting.

"Thank you Les, for making me smile and laugh like this." He said.

_Totally out of character, Jesse Aarons!_ Leslie thought to herself.

"Aww, you're so sweet!" Leslie hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Ack! Don't give me cooties!" Jess squirmed.

"Cooties? COOTIES? Hahahahaha!" Leslie started laughing maniacally. "That has to be the most childish thing I've ever heard in my entire life!" _Aside from May Belle and Joyce Ann_.

"Shuttup…" Jess blushed. That word never meant to come out from his mouth. But he just got too surprised when Leslie kissed his cheek. It was like the typical 'butterflies in my stomach thing' and 'bolt of electricity running down my spine' thing.

"Uuuu, is _Jesse_ blushing?" She teased him. Jess mock-grunted. He turned to face her. Brown eyes connecting with her bluish-green ones.

And by impulse, he kissed her.

Leslie's eyes shot up, not expecting it at all. But she gave into the kiss, savoring the delicious taste of spaghetti.

Tracing his kisses up to her ear, he then whispered to her,

"I love you."

Both knew by now that they would need each other more than ever.

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Did I rush things or something? Hoping for a response... :) Review please! Check out my other story too entitled 'Only Hope', just view my profile, leave a review if you could!


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